Asher now has another tooth, as of this morning! Another bottom middle tooth (15d) has broken through. Funny how his sunny disposition doesn’t seem to change at all when he’s teething! But, I’m grateful and I’ll take it.

Baby’s got some new skills! He’s crawling, as I’ve mentioned before. Now he can get into every nook and cranny in our house. He makes a sort of back-and-forth, round-and-round tour of the house every day; he makes it into every room at least 4 times, sometimes completely independently. He doesn’t even wave bye-bye, just creeps along. Sometimes I find him at the back sliding glass door peering out into the backyard. Saying “I find him” probably sounds like I lose him occasionally—which I have done.  A few nights ago, by some miracle of miracles, Lucas left me alone for a little while. Ian was cooking dinner in the kitchen and I dozed off. I wasn’t asleep long—just long enough to have some weird dreams. When I woke up, I looked around. No Asher. I went to the kitchen, thinking I’d find him attempting to trip Ian by being underfoot. Nope. Not there. “Where’s Asher?” I asked. “I thought he was with you,” Ian replied. Then we started calling Lucas. “Where’s Asher?” He didn’t know. We searched and finally found Asher playing in Lucas’s bedroom behind a closed door, happy as could be.

Recently we found Asher trying to crawl between an end table and the couch. He got stuck halfway. Took us a few moments to figure out where the whining was coming from. That probably sounds like we’re not paying attention to his well-being.  

Two days ago, after exiting the shower with Asher, he initiated a game of peekaboo by putting the towel over his head and then pulling it off expectantly and the repeating it again and again. We both laughed. That was the first time. Later that night he did it again with Ian. I heard, “Sara, Sara! Come see what Asher’s doing!” It was pretty cool. 

Asher likes the blocks a lot. He bangs them together, bangs them on the floor, and has started trying to stack them. Yesterday he stacked two blocks and tried to get a third to balance on top, but he was too clumsy and they all fell. Still, it was pretty exciting to see as that’s a skill usually found in older babies. Naturally, I think he is a genius. He will start piano lessons next week  🙂

Let’s see … Asher still has only one tooth. We think the next one will come from the top because we see a bulge there. He enjoys picking up bits of cereal flakes and eating them, but we can’t really give him many types of finger foods yet because he’s lacking the teeth to chew them. I’ve seen him squish up a couple of beans and a piece of tofu once or twice. All in good time, I suppose. He has come to tolerate more vegetable purees, but draws the line at broccoli and beets. The pureed “mac and cheese” concoction I bought in the jar did not go over well at all and frankly, I don’t blame him. It was awful. Sometimes we can separate a portion of our dinner and blend it up for him to eat. That worked really well with the minestrone soup I made before Ian and I went on our diet. 

Asher now follows Lucas around the house and wants to play with his brother. When the B kids were over recently, Asher was right there in the thick of things, doing his best to play along. He was very fascinated by T and bestowed all his best smiles and giggles on her. I think he was flirting. We have seen him respond with great excitement when a pretty girl or woman goes by or stops to talk with him. He is more cautious around men, and slower to smile at them. Everywhere we go, we are told how beautiful he is and how magnificent his cheeks are, which are both true.

He gives great hugs. He occasionally bites me. He like to bonk heads gently; I think he expresses affection this way. He says “DaDa,” but not always in reference to Ian. He is starting to say “Mam” and other approximations of “Mama,” but so far this is rare and also, not always clearly in reference to me.

Asher is signing “more” now, with some prompting. We are actively working on teaching him signs for “mama milk,” “eat,” “potty,” “up,” “help,” and “water.” When he starts really signing back, we will all have a glorious time. It was such a miracle when baby Lucas started signing—one of the most exciting things I’ve ever experienced.

Asher’s photo will appear in Sacramento magazine in a story I wrote in January.

Lucas is playing cowboy this afternoon. He’s all decked out in jeans, red cowboy shirt, matching boots, a red bandana, and hat. He’s having his snack, which is beans and rice and “cowboy coffee.” He’s been cookin’ up some beans on a campfire for tonight’s dinner. He says there’s a rodeo out in back of our ranch. He plans to build his own bunk to sleep in tonight. He has branded 90 head of cattle. Oh, and he’s not arguing with me about anything right now. I love this kid. Completely adorable.

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Originally uploaded by SarabellaE

I’ve finally finished uploading the rest of our vacation photos, so if you are interested, you can trip on over to my flickr.

Last night I happily went through my cupboard and threw out tons of candy. We had tons of candy because throughout the year, we’ve received candy as gifts on various holidays. (And when I say we, I mostly mean Lucas has been given candy because what lights up a kid’s face more than a gift of candy?) That we still have it means that we don’t regularly gobble it all up. It also means that we’ve been saving it for some sort of candy emergency, which is silly. Not any more. I kept a little bit for Lucas, and chucked the rest, with no pangs of regret or desire to sample it. Out it went. Finis.

And yet … there is a beautiful heaping bowl of mandarin oranges sitting on my countertop. I pass it 40 times a day. It’s siren song calls to me so loudly and I want to eat a mandarin so bad, but I’m not allowed to. Giving up most fruits is the hardest part of doing Atkins. I hope Lucas eats them up fast.

Dear Ian,

Right now you’re on your way to a scary important meeting. You’ve stressed about this meeting (series of meetings) a long time. I know that you’re doing everything you can to make sure you end up with a reasonable, workable solution. I know that your creativity, diplomacy, tact, and charm will serve you well today. I am hoping that soon your sleepless nights will end and you will breathe deeply again. I love you and I know it will turn out all right—just wanted you to know.

You are a prince among men, a paragon of creativity and compassion, and a delight to know. Although we haven’t known each other that long, I feel that is only because of an oversight on the part of the Universe—a glitch in cosmic scheduling—that is being corrected as rapidly as possible. You are warm and honest and courageous. I like that in a friend. I hope you have a fantabulomarvelostupentousykickassy birthday.

http://www.dooce.com/2007/12/13/because-i-couldnt-say-it-phone  

Day 11. I’m down 9 or 10 pounds on Day 11. That’s some crazy progress. If that is correct and I’m not just crazy, then that means I have about 10 pounds to go to be at my dream weight.

I’m feeling better, both emotionally (see said progress) and physically. My cravings have evened out. My appetite has decreased. 

I’ve been eating well: eggs, roasted chicken, tri tip, steak, sauteed spinach, mountains of salad made interesting by the addition of red peppers, olives and cucumbers, sauteed chard, avocado, artichoke hearts, salmon with lemon dill sauce, small bits of cheese for snacks, coffee with splenda and heavy cream. I have herbal tea when I’m feeling munchy during the day or before bed. Sugar-free gum helps. Lots of sparkling and ice water and the occasional diet coke. We splurged on crab legs and grilled shrimp at Red Lobster last week. It was tough when the server brought the cheesy biscuits to our table, but the kids enjoyed them. I don’t know how to express this without sounding bitchy, but the truth is, my resolved was strengthened when I looked around the dining room and noticed how many of the Red Lobster guests were clearly very obese.

Last night, Ian and I got a rare—and I mean RARE—treat. My parents babysat our kids so we could go and see my high school friend, Julia Dollison, perform at Savannah’s at the Red Lion Inn’s. Julie, as I know her from way back, is a superbly original, lyrical jazz vocalist who is making a name for herself among musicians and non-musicians alike. I know that vocal jazz isn’t everybody’s thing; it’s really not my thing anymore, although I used to be more into it in high school when I sang with choirs and saw a lot of live jazz performances. But I tell you, if you have even an inkling of a taste for jazz (or vocalists such as Diana Krall or Norah Jones), you should check her out! Her voice is airy at times and makes me think that an angel is singing just to me inside my head and at other times it’s round, deep, and buttery. She is a true virtuoso; she arranges jazz standards so that they are fresh, young, and totally new. She sings the lyrics with meaning and heart, as though she created them herself. She darts and flits through the music, showcasing her impressive range. She sounds like brass instruments when she scats. She also writes her own songs, which are honest and playful and sometimes sad. 

I’m not a music writer. I feel the description I have created doesn’t do her justice. Julie’s debut CD is called Observatory. She’s working on a new project now through a site called Artist Share. Last night, she and pianist Geoffrey Keezer played her Observatory tunes along with the new music they plan to record for the new CD, which will be called Lifted. On the Artist Share site, you can see video clips and interviews and stuff.

So, please check her out. She’s worth a listen.

It was a wonderful date night with Ian. We smootched in the darkened club, drank seltzer water, and ate steak and salad. So, so nice and relaxing to be away from the constantly chattering monkeys who dominate our every waking hour.